After working alone for many years, Death was forced to create a real business to cope with the constant influx of new souls. Having become CEO rather than grim reaper, the lady was stunted and had to surround herself with trusted personnel. Alas, if some employees are still loyal to him, others have let themselves go and now need to receive a small correction. This is the perfect excuse to go down to the different floors of society and distribute good little blows with a scythe and a cape. This context is also a real justification for the structure of rogue-like, since it is logical that Death can start again, and not die, in case of failure. Moreover, the mixture between the macabre universe and the humorous treatment works perfectly well. This is all the more true for us French people, who are particularly well placed to understand certain puns and typically French references. On the occasion of the small dialogues (written and not dubbed, but it's really not a problem) and the various descriptions present in the menus, one can thus come across a "pschit-pschit Charnier n°5", a driver of truck who previously worked on a science popularization program, or even a certain Maurice who "tends to push things a little too far". Good spirit and good child, the game never takes itself seriously and even dares to inflict very current phrases on us such as "we skip the tutorial" or "but wesh, who are you with your mummified boomer face?" , as well as multiple allusions to social networks and other essential activities these days. This could have been annoying if the developers had used these tricks only to "look young", but it all feels rather second degree and therefore goes very well.
THE LITTLE DEATH THAT DOES GOOD
If these characteristics undoubtedly contribute to the overall success of this rogue-like, the gameplay is still essential. And it is indeed of very good quality. Our little Death is easy to control and offers very good general sensations, whether in terms of blows or movements. We cling for example very easily to the platforms, while the rush offers both a speed boost and the frames of invulnerability which go well. The combat system offers a basic or charged attack, numerous weapons divided into three categories (scythe, cape and spells), as well as a frenzy gauge allowing you to trigger furies (which vary according to the weapons used ). These ultimates are especially useful against bosses, or when too many enemies are scrambling across the screen. Rogue-like obliges, different systems make it possible to vary the runs and to simplify or complicate the challenge to come. Weapons store to improve, contracts to fulfill, and curses imposing different bonuses and penalties thus answer the call. Mechanics for improving and transforming weapons are also present. The game also has a little trouble explaining all this clearly, and this is one of its rare faults. The menus could have been better organized, and the interface offered a few more information bubbles.
We can also find some noise in the random generation of levels, which lacks variety and complexity. It only takes a few games to guess in advance what type of segment we are dealing with. Fortunately, the sublime artistic direction largely passes the pill! The sets are perfectly legible, the trend towards monochrome suits the morbid context, luminous special effects add pep to the whole, and all the characters, from the hero to the NPCs through the bosses, are extremely successful. At the same time morbid, cute and funny, they motivate to start again the famous "small part more and I stop". The music is also worthy of praise, and perfectly in tune with the atmosphere. Understand by this that they cleverly mix dark chords and light melodies, even going so far as to dare real elevator music during loading times. Good point also for the worlds to visit, which evoke in a light way the different reasons to pass from life to death (industrial pollution, fast food, war…). Scenery and enemies change significantly each time. It should be noted that the game is still in early access, and that additional worlds are still regularly added by the developers. So there is still uncertainty about the quality and quantity of upcoming content. But don't panic, the selling price of 15 euros helps you stay calm, and the quality of the levels already available inspires confidence.
